2023-11-27 20:54:52
Encouragement to overconsumption and additional pollution, commercial operations outside the legal framework of sales and potential scams… Black Friday raises questions even though many French people intend to take advantage of reductions in the face of eroded purchasing power.
“Up to 80% off“, “Take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday“, … Impossible to miss. Every year, at the end of November, Black Friday takes place on the screens, but also in our streets. Popular since the 1990s in the United States, this commercial practice has migrated to France around ten years ago at the initiative of digital giants like Amazon. Physical stores not wanting to stay on the sidelines have taken the lead and are now offering discounts on this date.
Many French consumers have also integrated this period of price reduction. Centre-Val de Loire is no exception. According to the company Shopfully, the Black Friday weekend attracted 51% more visits than a “normal” weekend in the region.
For Grégory Caret, director of the Consumer Observatory, the attraction of this period of reductions is partly explained by a favorable purchasing moment. “Before Christmas, there is competition, people are more keen to buy than after the holiday period for example when there was an oversaturation of purchases. Moreover, the relative success of Black Friday can make traditional sales pale in comparison, the success of which is increasingly mixed.“According to Shopfully, 13% of French people took advantage of Black Friday to do their Christmas shopping.
That said, not everyone is in the same boat. Internet purchases represent two thirds of consumption during this period. Especially since last year and its share of inflation and eroded purchasing power, the success of Black Friday has been mixed.
Nadia Lorillard-Malbec, co-president of the Departmental Federation of Commercial Unions of Touraine, is more than circumspect about this Black Friday. A ready-to-wear retailer herself in Tours, she decided not to follow the trend this year. “There are enough offers all year round. We will soon have private sales then the January sales. With all these successive promotions, the consumer is lost.”
Even beyond being drowned in promotions, consumer associations are calling for caution. “Beware of scamswarns Françoise Pilard, president of the UFC Que Choisir in Orléans. To be sure that the promotion is interesting, you must check the starting price and the discounted price.“
It must be said that Black Friday does not fall within the legal framework of sales, it must respect the usual standards of commercial operations. Traders cannot sell at a loss and the displayed price must be the lowest in the last thirty days. And this rule is not always respected. Sometimes, brands even use subterfuge to offer products at a price without any real reduction, or even more expensive. “Some increase their prices very significantly a month before, then lower them suddenlydenounces Grégory Caret of UFC Que Choisir. It gives the impression that they are offering an incredible discount when you would have bought this product at the same price a month earlier.“
Since 2022, the European Omnibus law has been transposed into French legislation. Supposed to regulate questionable commercial practices, the law turns out to be counterproductive to its objective. In fact, it allows the merchant to use a “comparison price” for his reduction. Concretely, a merchant can decide to display a discount compared to the price of another competitor or the list price. “Before this law, there was a gray area, deplores Grégory Canet. Today, we have legalized a practice that I would still describe as misleading for the consumer.“
The merchant is supposed to clearly indicate that he is using a comparison price. But in practice, the mention is often in small print, and who will read the little asterisk hidden at the bottom of the page? It even happens that the merchant does without it entirely, explains UFC Que Choisir… and who could even verify it? “There are almost no controlsassures Nadia Lorillard-Malbec of the FDUC Touraine. And some at-fault brands make so much money that a small fine will not stop them from continuing.“
On closer inspection, Black Friday doesn’t always seem so advantageous. According to the Consumption Housing Framework of Life association35% of item prices are higher on Black Friday than in the month preceding it and on average the reductions are only 17% per product.
The wallet would benefit little even though the environmental cost would be astronomical. “These promotional practices make people believe that there is an urgency to purchase and create a superfluous need, analyzes Manon Richert of Zero Waste France. When we know that producing a television requires 2.4 tonnes of raw materials (that’s the weight of two hippos), we must take the time to think about how we will use it..”
Thanks to the@ademe for this spot. THE #reseller is right: the polo shirt with 100% discount is the one that suits him best ????
Personally, I regularly wear shirts that are threadbare at the collar. I would rather live on a planet habitable for all than… pic.twitter.com/VDtISFyKIZ— Pierre Larrouturou (@larrouturou) November 24, 2023
A subject which obviously still annoys. Last week, an Ademe advertisement advising against overconsumption created discord within the government between the ministry responsible for Ecology and that of the Economy. “The Ademe campaign was controversial, recognizes Manon Richert. The point was not necessarily unpurchase, but the highlighting of alternatives such as repair or reconditioning which are made invisible by promotional practices like Black Friday.”
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